TWO casualties were rushed to hospital after a head-on traffic collision in Bude shortly before 8.30pm on Monday.

The pair were left trapped in separate vehicles after the crash in Poughill Road. One was the driver of a van and the second was in the rear of a car.

Ten firefighters from Bude were called to the scene and used small tools to free the person trapped in the car.

The second casualty was released and remained in the van until a second ambulance arrived.

A South West Ambulance Service Trust spokesperson said the air ambulance was on standby but a paramedic who assessed the casualties said it was not needed.

The spokesperson added that their conditions were not thought to be critical. Both casualties were taken to North Devon District Hospital at Barnstaple.

CONTROVERSIAL councillor Collin Brewer has said he will resign for a second time following a damning report into his latest remarks about disabled children. The recommendations made after an investigation carried out by Cornwall Council into comments made by Mr Brewer during an interview with the Disability News Network have made his position untenable. Mr Brewer told the report's author, Cornwall Council monitoring officer, Richard Williams, that he will be standing down, but the council is still awaiting his formal letter of resignation. The authority condemned his remarks allegedly comparing disabled babies with deformed lambs as both outrageous and grossly insensitive and entirely inconsistent with the standards expected of a Cornwall councillor. The report concludes Mr Brewer had seriously breached local government code of conduct rules and imposed sanctions that have made it impossible for the Wadebridge councillor to carry on. The council received 180 complaints about Mr Brewer's remarks about disabled children.

A HOT air balloon, piloted by a Newquay hotel owner and carrying three passengers, made a "precautionary" landing in sand dunes near Crantock on Sunday evening.

John Armstrong, of the Headland Hotel, noticed a "small technical issue" with one of the turning vents shortly after lifting off from the hotel grounds.

Witnesses saw the balloon spinning as it flew towards Perranporth from Fistral beach at around 8pm.

The emergency services were notified and four fire engines and an ambulance went to the landing spot at Perran Sands.

Mr Armstrong said he had called air traffic controllers at Newquay Cornwall airport to report that he may have to make a "precautionary landing", but later played down the seriousness of the incident.

"There was no danger but I was flying fairly close to the ground and I always like to let them know what the balloon is doing," he said. "We had a safe and normal landing and I was surprised when four fire appliances and then a paramedic arrived. However, they were very useful in helping pack up the balloon."

An airport spokesman said the pilot had been in radio contact, saying the balloon was "rotating".

She said: "We thought there could be a problem so we called the emergency services and advised them of the call. The balloon then landed where it had intended to at about 8.30pm."

Mr Armstrong said the balloon would be making more flights over Newquay.

THERE was no fanfare and no sign of Martin Clunes or any other cast members of Doc Martin when Port Isaac's controversial £400,000 car park was opened on Monday.

Instead, local schoolchildren did the honours by planting trees at the site off Trewetha Lane where there are now spaces for 140 vehicles.

Years of acrimony have followed the decision of St Endellion Parish Council to spend a large amount of money on creating a car park to cater for the thousands of Doc Martin tourists who now flock to Port Isaac all year round for a glimpse of the now popular landmarks, familiar from the TV show.

The contentious issue has even cost councillors their seats, with others resigning in protest after St Endellion agreed to take out a massive loan to pay for the facility.

The Doc Martin production team has contributed £32,000 towards its cost.

There was talk in the village of placard-waving protests at the opening ceremony, but it went off peacefully in the end.

Parish councillor Nicola Williams said St Endellion Parish Council was delighted to announce that the new car park was now open.

"The project has been completed in time for this year's peak holiday season, and on budget,'' she said.

"We would like to thank all councillors, past and present, who have ensured the delivery of this well overdue facility.''

Former parish council chairman, Robert Harris, who lost his seat at the May election when he came bottom of the poll, added: "It is great to see it completed after all the hard work behind the scenes.

"I hope the whole community will be pleased and will benefit from this new car park."

Cormac, the construction arm of Cornwall Council, built the car park at a cost of £397,000. The parish council also spent £40,000 in consultants' fees. The parish council says the car park will more than pay for itself.

A LOOE widower has paid tribute to his inspirational and beautiful wife who lost her battle with cancer last month.

Describing his wife Louise Beard, who was 54 years old when she died, Brian Bluett said: "My wife Louise was not just my wife, but my best friend and my soulmate. She was inspirational, kind, intelligent, loving, caring, beautiful both visually and, more importantly, as a person within.

"Louise saw the good and potential in everyone.

"She had the most amazing aura and drew people to her like a magnet."

The couple, who moved to the town in 2002, quickly settled into community life.

Mrs Beard, who worked as a trainee teacher at Fowey Community College, was keen to support local businesses and charity events such as the Lions' carnival, her husband said. During their years in the town the couple enjoyed celebrating the start of the new year with Looe's renowned celebrations and spending Christmas at home.

Mr Bluett said: "She was genuine, honest and loved her job and pupils and colleagues with a passion.

She joined the team at Fowey Community College in 2004 and became a much-loved and respected member of staff who made a lasting impression on all around her, the school said.

Mr Bluett continued: "Sadly, cancer has taken my beautiful wife away from me and left a massive void. But I also have endless fantastic wonderful memories to comfort me."

"She was, as her tutor group would say, a legend. Louise is passed on, gone but, trust me, never to be forgotten."

To remember his wife and allow others to do the same, Mr Beard is putting a memorial bench on Hannafore Point for all her friends and family to sit and enjoy the view looking out to sea as she often did.

Head teacher of Fowey Community College, John Perry, said: "Lou Beard was one of our most outstanding colleagues.

"She quickly became known as the most cheerful, dedicated, hardworking member of staff.

"Lou held a variety of roles in the school, and she had begun to train as a teacher when she fell ill.

"I have no doubt that she would have made a wonderful teacher, but the truth is that she taught every day.

"She taught us that we can all achieve great things with hope, energy and great humour.

"It was a privilege and a delight to work with Lou, and our thoughts are with Brian, her family and her friends. She is greatly missed by us all at Fowey."

Westcountry businesses have benefited from a £100-million boost after a week of scorching weather in which average temperatures were on a par with some of the region's Mediterranean rivals.

Sales of ice cream and portable barbecues have skyrocketed, beach cafes been rammed and campsites fully booked as the region's businesses looked to make up for losses suffered during a record poor start to the year.

Temperatures topped the chart at a sweltering 28.1C in Plymouth on Monday and are expected to get even hotter this weekend, with the Met Office predicting a staggering 31C for some areas.

It has come as a welcome relief for those that were looking to play catch-up after a record wet start to the year left many hot-weather attractions out of pocket.

Maenporth Beach Cafe in Falmouth is just one of those to have benefited from the good weather. The cafe had to increase its orders of Kelly's Ice Cream by 200% to 1,800 litres after sales picked up, while Plymouth-based Langage Farm said orders for its Devonshire ice cream had gone up 48% in the past week.

Co-owner of the cafe Julie Cornwall said the trend was well above average for a pre-school holiday period.

She said: "We have found that Kelly's Cornish Vanilla is the number one choice in our parlour, and when people are buying ice cream, they are buying a luxury option too, not worrying about the price. They want two scoops, three scoops, flakes, sprinkles and sauce."

High ice cream sales in cafes have been matched by a big increase in shop sales. Chris Arnold, the regional operations manager for The Co-operative in Devon and Cornwall, said it had seen a surge in business. He said: "Customers have been coming to us for all the ingredients needed for barbecues and summer picnics, as well as outdoor toys such as water pistols, tennis sets and bouncy balls. The sporting successes last weekend clearly got people into the celebratory spirit too, and we saw a spike in wine and fizz."

The hot weather has also provided a welcome relief for campsites. Ron Lyne, who runs Henry's campsite on the Lizard, said the campsite had been fully booked all week. "It's not gone very well," he said. "We haven't been able to get the beach all week. It's been very busy. We've needed this sunshine – the phone doesn't stop ringing, everybody is looking out the window of their offices thinking, 'How about we go camping this weekend'."

Carolyn Custerson, chairman of VisitDevon, said the estimated benefit for Devon alone was around £50 million. She said: "I think everybody is benefiting at the moment. The major winners are camping and caravanning, who have been hit the hardest, but everybody is going to benefit."

But the good weather has also come with a warning, with the region on a Level 2 alert for heatwave. Dr Angie Bone, head of Public Health England's Heatwave Plan said: "The elderly and those with long-term illnesses are particularly vulnerable to the effects, so it's important to look out for them and keep indoor areas as cool as possible."

Police are investigating whether a mother killed her two-year-old son at home before taking her five-year-old boy to a local beauty spot where she jumped off rocks – killing them both.

The 24-year-old woman and her elder boy plunged 100ft to their deaths in front of visitors of Haytor Rocks, on Dartmoor.

Later police visited her home in Paignton where they forced opened the door and found her younger son dead, sparking a murder inquiry covering the two incidents.

Detective Superintendent Paul Burgan, who leads Devon and Cornwall's Major Crime Team, said the woman had no other children and the father, who does not live locally, had been told of the deaths.

Det Supt Burgan said police were "keeping an open mind" but added they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the two incidents.

Devon and Cornwall Police received numerous calls from onlookers at the moorland beauty spot shortly before midday yesterday.

Foreign tourists who were on top of the tor when the incident occurred claimed the woman was standing on the edge of the precipice with the child on her back or shoulders and suggested she may have jumped.

Police initially said they were treating the deaths as unexplained but not suspicious, adding that they were not looking for anybody else.

Witnesses were taken to nearby Ashburton police station for interview to determine exactly what had happened.

Acting Chief Inspector (ACI) Adrian Leisk gave a press conference in which he said the incident remained "a mystery".

"Any incident involving a small child is particularly traumatic," he added.

"We are treating the death as unexplained and conducting a full and thorough investigation to determine how they came to be there and the circumstances leading up to their death.

"We have got people who were in the vicinity who we think can give us and idea of exactly what happened."

But when officers called at the mother's home, in Duke Close, they made the second grim discovery and launched a murder inquiry.

Det Sup Burgan said there was "nothing obvious" at the address to suggest the cause of death, adding "there will be a thorough forensic examination".

"We were called to Haytor after reports of a woman falling from rocks with a boy believed to be her son.

"Officers then attended her home, forced entry and found a second two-year-old boy believed to be the son of the deceased woman dead at the scene. We are keeping an open mind about all three deaths but at this early stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident."

Police and emergency services attended Lowman, the second of the two rocky peaks which make up Haytor Rocks, the most famous landmark in the National Park.

The tor is accessible by foot and hand-holds from the road side but falls away to an 80 to 100ft drop at the rear.

Police, ambulance, the Devon Air Ambulance, Dartmoor Rescue Group and the police helicopter attended the scene. The site was cordoned off and scenes of crime investigators could be seen combing the tor and surrounding area.

Ice cream salesman Chris Meanwell, 29, who runs the Molly Mac van at the upper Haytor car park, said his colleague at the bottom car park had broken the news to him.

"He heard a woman and a child had jumped off the tor – it is quite tragic and cannot have been a good experience for anyone who was up there," he said.

"I arrived at 10am and it was a quiet day, the first thing I noticed was two police cars that came up, they both parked up and the officers came out with their first aid kit and they started jogging up the hill.

"Then ambulances started arriving along with more police cars and the air ambulance and I realised it must have been quite serious."

A COUPLE and their son fled their home in the middle of the night as flames engulfed the conservatory and started to spread.

Peter and Anne Dunn, of Grenville Road in Falmouth, said they were "heartbroken" when they saw the damage.

The fire on Monday destroyed the wooden conservatory and all its contents, damaged the kitchen and shattered an upstairs bedroom window.

The couple, aged 74 and 65, were alerted to the fire at about 2.15am by their son Steve, who woke to the sounds of "crackling".

Thinking it was someone trying to break in, he went downstairs and spotted the flames through the kitchen window.

"It was red hot," he said. "I went outside and could see there was no way I was going to be able to stop it.

"The flames were billowing. I got my parents out and called the fire brigade.

"Thank God I got up when I did, as five minutes later I wouldn't like to imagine what would have happened.

"The gas boiler was just six inches away on the other side of the wall from the conservatory."

His father, who has angina, said: "It is upsetting as we have lived here for more than 45 years.

"At our age we don't want to have to deal with anything like this, we want a quiet life."

The couple spent the rest of the night with family, while Steve remained at the house.

Mrs Dunn said: "I didn't know the damage until I came back later in the morning and I felt sick as a parrot.

"If Steve didn't wake when he did, we may have heard our smoke alarms (which went off a little later), but by then it would have been too late as it would have been in the house."

Two fire crews from Falmouth tackled the blaze and paramedics treated the trio for shock and checked them for smoke inhalation.

The intense flames melted the guttering of a nearby shed.

A CORNWALL College Newquay student will travel more than 4,000 miles this summer to fulfil her dream of working with black bears in America.

Lily Moffatt, wildlife education and media foundation degree student, will be based at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, in Minnesota, for three and a half months from July until October.

The sanctuary is made up of various habitats including Aspen forest, cedar swamps, marshes, beaver ponds, streams and meadows. Visitors can observe the bears in their natural habitat and learn about the black bear from the experts.

Lily, 19, said: "The course has really prepared me for this trip. All the work we have carried out in relation to engaging with the public will be essential, I'm sure.

"During my time at the sanctuary the living conditions will be very basic. There will be no electricity and no running water, which is going to highlight to me how many things I take for granted at home, but I'm still really looking forward to it."

Once Lily's placement ends she will then return to Cornwall College Newquay to study the full-time one-year BSc (Hons) applied zoology top up to convert the foundation degree into a full undergraduate degree. Her dream is to then go on to work in natural history TV production.

A CONNOR Downs boatbuilder is celebrating more than three decades of making an innovative small fishing vessel.

Robb Lello, who owns Treeve Boats on Treeve Lane, started making his distinctive 16ft boats in 1978, alongside the larger boats he already produced, after requests from the public and has never stopped.

Robb said: "It was because wood was getting expensive in those days and there were not so many carpenters around that could make them.

"The fibreglass fishing boats were just coming in but they were bigger and somebody came to us and said, 'is there any chance of making a small fibreglass fishing boat' and so we started making them."

Since then Robb and his team have built between 300 and 400 of the Treeve 16s, each one finished to its owner's individual specifications.

While many of the boats were bought by Cornish fishermen – they were particularly popular at Penberth Cove – others have travelled farther afield including Ireland and one that was built for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Indonesia.

"There's one on a lake in Switzerland, there are several on the continent and there are some in Ireland," said Robb.

"At one point in Penberth Cove there were about 13 boats down there – 12 of them 16s."

To celebrate 35 years of making the small craft, Robb is producing a Mark IV mould, which is being built by boatbuilder Mark Hollins.

"We have decided to spend a lot of time and a lot of money on it to celebrate the fact that we have been making them for so long," said Robb.

The Mark IV will also have a slightly different name – the Treeve Penberth – and the first one has already been ordered by a customer in Plymouth.

Robb believes there are a number of reasons why the fishing boat has stood the test of time. He has often had reports of how capable they are in heavy seas and stormy conditions and their width and moulded depth make them safe and hard-wearing boats.

He said: "We sent one to Ireland and it was bright orange. That boat went out 30 years ago. Then a gentleman from Mousehole rang up and asked if we did up our old boats and it was that boat."

In the past three decades the price of the Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) fishing vessels has gone up considerably, from £500 to £16,000; each boat is built to order and takes around three months to finish.

"It is the only way to do it, it is pure elbow grease," added Robb. "The standard is a lot higher than it used to be. Years ago, people wanted a boat but now they want their boat to look like a yacht even though it is a fishing boat, people are much more discerning."

For more information go to http://treeveboats.com or call 01736 757632.

CORNWALL WILDLIFE TRUST has launched a public appeal to raise £20,000 to help it buy 84 acres of threatened land.

The trust wants to buy 58 acres of Bostraze Bog, between Newbridge and St Just, and restore it to a wildlife-rich habitat teeming with rare species such as the round-leaved sundew, small red damselfly and the iconic barn owl.

With the help of Heritage Lottery funding it also wants to buy 26 acres of Bartinney Downs, next to the trust's Caer Brân Nature Reserve, near Sancreed.

It wants to protect the sites' existing wildlife, providing refuge for skylark, marsh fritillary butterfly, adders and merlin.

Callum Deveney, head of nature reserves at Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: "We must find this extra money to help to buy and create what I know will be fantastic nature reserves. All donations will help us to draw down extra funding to protect Cornwall's wildlife and wild places."

Parts of these sites were improved for agricultural use in the past, but have been reverting to more wildlife-friendly habitats through the support of agri-environmental funding schemes.

The trust said reforms to the common agricultural policy and shrinking EU and domestic budgets are threatening wildlife at both sites that could be intensively managed to make money from them once again.

The land at Bostraze Bog and Bartinney Downs has no statutory designation to protect the habitats and species it supports.

Once bought local people will be brought in to help manage the heathland and wetland and scrub clearance. Volunteers will be trained in a variety of practical skills such as plant identification techniques, habitat management and Cornish hedging.

Access will also be improved and new walking routes will be introduced to help visitors appreciate the rare heritage landscape.

Both new sites have important archaeological features including a scheduled ancient monument on the slopes of Bartinney Downs. To donate to Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Nature Reserves appeal, please visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk/appeal

or call 01872 273939 or post a cheque to Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Nature Reserves Appeal, Five Acres, Allet, Truro, TR4 9DJ. You can also donate via Just Giving at www.justgiving.com/Callum-Deveney1 or simply text 70070 with the code NRAP84 followed by £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10.

A PIANO teacher from Harrowbarrow has retired after 51 years – with a 100 per cent exam pass rate.

Every student taught by Jean Nelson made the grade with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

Reflecting on her achievement the 66-year-old said: "There's no secret.

"The most important thing is they enjoy it."

The grandmother, who has never lived more than five miles from the family home in Albaston, near Calstock, began learning the piano at the age of 5.

When she was 11 she was invited to play what she calls the "king of instruments", the organ, at Calstock Baptist Church.

"My feet could not reach the pedals," she recalled. "But I didn't know how to use them so it didn't matter.

"I worked the stops out for myself, even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing. But it must sound all right because I kept doing it."

By the age of 15 she had her first pupil.

"It was a favour for a family friend. She did so well that they asked me to keep teaching her, and started paying me. I've had hundreds of pupils since."

Mrs Nelson studied to Grade 8 but did not formally train to be a teacher.

She said her music talent was passed through the generations from her paternal grandfather Abel Barrett, who played flute and violin, and made his own instrument.

Her father, Leonard, was accomplished on cello and violin and later learned to play "backwards", Mrs Nelson said, changing the strings around and switching hands after he lost all the fingers on his left hand in a circular saw accident aged 21. Her mother Gladys played piano and brother John switched to violin.

"We used to play as a family quartet," she said.

"I have never known what it's like to be in a house without music."

Her and husband Viv, a retired salmon fisherman, now live in Harrowbarrow where she continues to play the organ services at All Saints' Church.

Her taste in music includes Beethoven and Handel to play and, when not at the keyboard, easy-listening stars Jim Reeves and Andy Williams.

Daughter Claire, who is a trainee teacher, plays the piano and violin and while son David, a carpenter, is not musical, grandchildren Melissa and Jessica are both learning.

"I am stopping because Viv and I need some 'us' time. I'll miss the children and all the little secrets they used to tell me."

Her many pupils and their parents will miss her too – including her £5 lessons, about a third of the going rate.

"I never did it for the money," she said.

"I did it for children to learn the piano. There are so many other things that parents have to pay for their children to do, that if I charged more they would not have learned music."

PLANS to build 41 homes at College Farm in Penryn have been approved.

Walker Developments has been given permission for the scheme, despite objections from neighbours.

The proposal is part of a wider plan to build about 400 homes along the valley.

Permission has already been granted for 104 and an application is expected for 300 houses behind College Farm and another for 65 homes, hotel, restaurant, pub and employment space behind Asda.

Only four of the College Farm properties will be affordable, which has upset some residents, who believed this did not address the "acute need" in the town.

Others felt the greenfield site is not the right place for any development as it would destroy the environment and set a precedent for the entire area.

Nine people wrote letters to Cornwall Council.

Robin Tyndale-Biscoe, wrote on the Cornwall Council planning website: "The loss of and encroachment on the wildlife corridor would be a travesty."

However Cornwall Wildlife Trust did not object, stating conditions attached to approval were satisfactory.

Another resident feared building on the site would create more flooding problems.

Larry Peters wrote: "As a regular user of the valley I would be concerned about this, especially considering the already boggy conditions of Glasney Field."

Another concern was in relation to the increase in traffic and the potential danger that would cause, particularly for pedestrians.

Although the town council supported development in principle, it asked that the open space be dropped in favour of including more affordable homes as there was plenty of play space nearby.

But it was told this was not possible because of drainage tanks beneath the land in question, which could not take the additional weight.

The application was approved by officers rather than going to a committee of councillors.

They said the scheme was a "well-designed, sustainable development."

Officers also felt that because there will be on-site highways improvements, it will address these issues.

Two faint blips on a sonar screen have led a pair of modern day shipwreck hunters to the final piece of a 200-year-old puzzle.

HMS Colossus, one of Admiral Lord Nelson's warships, sank in waters around the Scilly Isles while sheltering from severe storms on her return from a keynote battle.

Parts of the massive ship carrying treasures belonging to the husband of Nelson's mistress, the notorious Lady Hamilton, have already been scooped up and preserved.

However, Colossus' giant anchor has never been found – until now.

Todd Stevens and Robin Burrows had decided to take a fresh look at the evidence surrounding where exactly the gunship had floundered.

They examined tide times and accounts of the wind as the raging storm which forced her to seek safety in the waters of Scilly ebbed and grew again, realising that previous searches must have been in the wrong place.

After scouring the seabed, they came across a couple of anomalies on a sonar scan which could have easily have dismissed as seabed rubble, so Mr Stevens decided to dive down and take a closer look.

"It was amazing," he said.

"I went down and I could see two tips sticking about two feet out of the sand.

"I started digging around them and I just knew straight away what it was.

"I came up and went back up the ladder and said to Robin, 'You'd better get your camera out.'

"I said, 'It's an anchor, but not just any old anchor. I think it's what we have been looking for'."

Mr Burrows, said it was a truly exciting find.

"You run your hand along this anchor and it's huge, 20 feet or so.

"Then you think that the last time this was dry was back in 1798. It's a really amazing thought."

Mr Stevens, who lives on St Mary's and is a prolific chronicler of wrecks, is already responsible for locating numerous other remains, including a ship suspected to have belonged to Sir Walter Raleigh.

But the Colossus holds a special place in his heart as back in 2001 with his wife Carmen he uncovered the spectacular carved wooden figure of a neo-classical warrior which had adorned the stern of the ship.

"The Colossus has been a big part of my life.

"Everything else from the ship has been found, the guns and the wreck and how it is spread out, but the only thing that was missing was the anchor.

"It was the final piece of the jigsaw and to find it is quite exciting."

The Colossus, a 74-gun ship launched in 1787, wrecked off Samson, one of the Isles of Scilly, as she was returning from serving with Nelson's fleet at the Battle of the Nile against Napoleon's fleet.

More than 200 sailors were on board, but thanks to careful steering by her captain all were able to escape and the only fatality was a man sent back to check the depth of the water.

She was also carrying a hoard of valuable Etruscan pottery belonging to Sir William Hamilton, husband of Lady Emma, the famous beauty and mistress of Nelson.

More than 30,000 pieces were recovered from the wreck, most of which are at the British Museum for safe keeping.

But Mr Stevens said his pleasure came from locating the wreck and tracing its history, rather than discovering treasure.

"I know it's not like we have found gold bars and that some people won't be interested.

"But to us it is of huge interest and it is a marvellous piece of history."

Westcountry MP Ben Bradshaw attended a champagne reception in London in skin-tight cycling shorts and no trousers.

The Labour MP for Exeter raised a few eyebrows at David Miliband's farewell party by sporting a Tour de France look at a gathering of grand political figures.

Mr Bradshaw, 52, arrived by bicycle at the drinks party at West End restaurant Ozer last Tuesday, given by the former Foreign Secretary ahead of his move to the United States.

The former Culture Secretary wore cycling shorts with black socks and work shoes.

According to the Daily Mail, party-goers were "shocked", describing the outfit as "disgraceful".

But the former Culture Secretary hit back, saying: "I was dashing between events on my bike as it is the best way to get around London in a hurry.

"Obviously I was not going to be cycling in a suit in this weather. David's party was not all that formal and he is used to me turning up for things wearing them."

Guests at the function included former Chancellor Alistair Darling and ex-Home Secretaries Alan Johnson and John Reid.

Mr Miliband, who lost the Labour leadership to brother Ed, will live in New York as he heads the charity International Rescue Committee.

A previously troubled plan to upgrade dilapidated harbours at either end of a lifeline ferry link has been given a "positive" reception at Westminster.

Cornish councillors and an MP met with Transport Minister Norman Baker last week to discuss proposals for the harbours at Penzance and St Mary's on the Scilly Isles.

The meeting in London was arranged by St Ives MP Andrew George to ensure that Government ministers understood how critically important the project was to the Scillies and to Penzance.

It was attended by Coun Bert Biscoe, Cornwall Council's Cabinet member for transport and waste; Coun Chris Thomas, chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly transport committee; and Coun Phil Rendle, the Mayor of Penzance.

The project, initially a £62 million scheme to have included a new boat, has been mired in controversy in the past.

Two years ago the Government pulled the plug on it in the wake of bitter fighting about the redevelopment of Penzance harbour, then Cornwall Council walked away from it.

But at this week's meeting with Mr Baker, all the parties were keen to emphasise they were now singing from the same hymn sheet.

A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: "This assurance was welcomed by Mr Baker."

Coun Rendle told the minister that the town has reached a consensus after a lengthy, robust and wide ranging debate.

The minister was also told the Isles of Scilly wants to secure a durable facility for the sea link and strongly encouraged support for the scheme.

The council spokesman said: "Mr Baker welcomed the consensus and is keen to move forward.

"He stated that he would now consider the proposals put forward by the three Councils and respond as soon as possible."

An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of a fire which threatened to engulf an historic South Devon pub. Firefighters from Teignmouth and Torquay were called to the Church House Inn in Stokeinteignhead at 1am yesterday after reports a timber outbuilding with gas cannisters inside was well alight. The fire, which destroyed the outbuilding, was brought under control within two hours and police have begun an investigation.

Arsonists are suspected of setting fire to a house in Bodmin causing a blaze which left the two occupants requiring medical treatment. Fire crews were called to the terraced bungalow on St Georges Crescent at around 1.40am yesterday. The two occupants of the property escaped the flames but suffered the effects of smoke inhalation and were treated by ambulance crews. The fire was extinguished by crews from Bodmin and Lostwithiel and an investigation into the cause is under way.